Creative Writing in the Community

This course is an immersive, service
learning opportunity. English 409 students meet with young writers in the
community, to teach creative writing techniques and to write a text collaboratively.
These young community partners are in various programs throughout Muncie,
including Motivate our Minds, Storer Elementary, and Boys & Girls Club of Muncie.

Objectives include the enrichment of the creative writing major, through
engagement in the local community; through the scholarly study of poetry,
fiction, and nonfiction; through relevant essays about creative writing
pedagogy and community engagement; and through the use of critical and creative
examinations of the student’s own and collaborative work created for the class.
The end product will be a public community reading and published collection.

English 409, which is
directed and taught by Sean Lovelace, maintains the following goals and
objectives:

Engagement/Immersion
with the community. We believe a
relationship between the university and the larger community is important. A
large part of the class will be meeting with our community partners. We will
create a published text of our collaborative work. We will hold a public
reading.

We believe
creative writing is very important, especially to young writers. Creative writing allows for linguistic and conceptual
development. Writers are sensitive to the world, to themselves, to the power of
language.

Writing is stimulating. It causes joy and personal growth. Creative
writing develops the entire person. Creativity is enriching for the individual
and society. It is important for children to receive poetry and stories, but
also to make their own!

Teaching is
a rewarding process, as a person and
as a writer. This class investigates academic theory on the significance and
actual pedagogical processes of teaching creative writing to children.

Reflection. As a student and human, why is this process significant?
As students participate in this class, they will have many opportunities for
written reflection, including feedback on each partner meeting and a final
essay.